On December 4, 2018, the President signed into law the "Vessel Incidental Discharge Act" (VIDA) (Title IX of the Frank LoBiondo Coast Guard Authorization Act of 2018). VIDA restructures the way the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) regulate incidental discharges, primarily from commercial vessels, into waters of the United States and the contiguous zone. Specifically, VIDA amends Clean Water Act (CWA) Section 312 to include a new subsection (p) titled, “Uniform National Standards for Discharges Incidental to Normal Operation of Vessels.”
Subsection 312(p) requires the EPA to develop new national standards of performance for commercial vessel discharges and the USCG to develop corresponding implementing regulations. For more information on VIDA and its applicability click here.
The following interim requirements apply until EPA publishes future standards and the USCG publishes corresponding implementing regulations (anticipated in 2022):
For more information on the interim requirements, click on the links below:
For more information on the regulatory process and future requirements of VIDA, click on the links below:
For information on the regulation and control of vessel sewage under CWA Section 312, visit EPA's Vessel Sewage Discharges page.